The overall objective of this Program Project is to investigate the role of organization-facilitating structure embedded in stimulus materials and to evaluate training programs designed to induce the active utilization of perceptual and cognitive strategies over a range of memory and problem solving tasks. The long-range purpose of this objective is to improve the performance of mildly retarded children and adolescents on a wide variety of first laboratory and then school related tasks. Among the specific research activities undertaken are: (1) assessing and training the reasoning abilities of mentally retarded individuals through logical games; (2) studying the availability and accessibility of conceptual information; (3) analyzing uni-modal and cross-modal sequential processing; (4) studying encoding and retrieval strategies; (5) understanding stages of strategic behavior; and (6) training cognitive strategies that are permanent, transferable, and fluent. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Blackman, L.S., Bilsky, L.H., Burger, A.L., & Mar, H. Cognitive processes and academic achievement in EMR adolescents. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 1976, 81, 125-134. Blackman, L.S., & Burger, A.L. Cognitive strategy accessibility as a function of task requirement in educable mentally retarded adolescents. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 1976, 8, 221-223.